On the last week in Singapore the largest Asian air show, some leading experts shared their vision of the prospects for the development of world aviation.
Aircraft printed on a 3D printer
On Airbus A350, more than 1000 different parts are already made by 3D printing. And this trend is gaining momentum. According to IDO Ilon, a representative of one of the largest manufacturers of industrial 3D printers of Stratasys, it will primarily affect parts that often require replacement, secondary parts of a flat shape and individual tools used in the assembly.
3D-panting simplifies manufacturing, reduces temporary and material costs. The savings of the material are up to 90 %, and the weight of products by 30-55 % is easier than usual.
Multitask on -board entertainment systems
The leading world air carriers actively introduce entertainment systems during the flight. One of them is Avant. While it is installed mainly in the places of premium class. As the manufacturer assures, the system will replace passengers with a home TV, tablet and smartphone at the same time.
The user will be able to watch films, while his smartphone can be synchronized with the system to perform parallel tasks.
Technologies of the eye tracking
The screens of the next generation onboard entertainment systems will be controlled by eye movement. So, for example, at the moment when the passenger engaged in watching the film is approached by a stewardess with a glass of champagne, the broadcast will be stopped as soon as he tears his eyes from the screen.
Mobile applications uniting all information about flight
Currently, developers are engaged in the creation of adapted applications that sensitively respond to changes in the user’s location and his needs. Bluetooth beacons will be used for this. So, for example, if there are difficulties with the search for baggage, the application will tell you to which “carousel” it is located.
Pilots based on virtual reality pilots
Every year in the world, the need for qualified pilots is increasing. Singapore Technologies Engineering introduced a virtual reality headset specially designed for pilot training at the air show. With its help, cadets will be able to plunge into the atmosphere of flight, modeling various situations. This will relieve the need to create bulky and very expensive simulators. Their place will take a set consisting of a headset and a laptop.